Abstract:

From 1965 through the 1980's, community education was endorsed and promoted in Indiana by the C.S. Mott Foundation of Flint, Michigan. The Mott Foundation issued nearly $2 million in grant money to the Institute for Community Education Development (ICED) at Ball State University to encourage local communities in Indiana and a four-state region to develop community education programs and processes. This money was granted to Ball State University and the ICED for several purposes: 1) to promote the concept of Community Education, 2) to provide and manage seed money incentive grants made to local public school corporations who adopted the concept, 3) to provide training and academic programs to local program leaders, and 4) to support the development of Community Education in the state through consultant services and other appropriate forms of assistance. After twenty-two years of activity and investment, the Mott Foundation-focused development of community education in Indiana through the Institute for Community Education Development (ICED) was phased out.This research was conducted using an Oral History methodology in which a thorough literature review was completed, ICED yearly reports and other literature provided background and triangulation, and eight interviewees were interviewed and audio-recorded for a total of twenty-one interviews. Recordings were each transcribed and stored by the principle investigator. Participants were interviewed a total of one to three times each, dependent upon the information obtained during each interview.This study provides a written historical report of some of the developments of community education in the State of Indiana that were due, in part, to the ICED consultants. This study also describes the community education development strategies in Indiana by the ICED staff. Additionally, this study reports some of the strengths and weaknesses of the strategies utilized by ICED professionals in Indiana's development of community education as reported by the interviewees. Those interested in educational development may utilize this study to gain insights from some of the lessons found in Indiana's Community Education development experience from 1965 through 1987.